The Impact Of The Villainess’ Fake Marriage On The Ending

The kiss continued for a long time, pushing Adeline into an unquenchable flame.

The moment came when she could finally let out a hot breath, and Adeline burned in the fire even after the blue-grey eyes, which suppressed their instinct, barely managed to distance themselves from her.

The heat barely disappeared.
The same was true even after the white moon gradually lost its light and the black night slowly receded to meet the bright red sun.

Adeline sat blankly on the bed and stayed up all night with her eyes wide open.
It was partly because of Kael’s heat that remained throughout, and partly because she was questioning herself for having revealed all of her heart as if she had been possessed by something.

‘Is it because I’m too weak?’

Her body and mind were weakened. She struggled greatly because her body still hadn’t fully healed and yet she had been trying to see Kael’s face the whole time.

‘But even after hearing that, why…’

However, when she finally caught Kael and faced him, he only poured out cold-hearted sophistry.
He had taken care of Adeline with such kindness, and now that it came to it, he was trying to push her away by reminding her of their contract.

‘Did I lose my temper a little? Because he said something ridiculous?’

Adeline continued to reflect on last night’s situation.

‘But… There was no reason to get angry, so why did I react like that? We shouldn’t be serious. But why…’

If the reason was that she was angry and upset in the heat of the moment, that was even more of a problem.
The position Adeline currently possessed was not hers, and the end of Kael and Adeline had already been decided.

‘My feelings shouldn’t interfere with this. You know that, Adeline.’

Adeline closed her eyes tightly and persuaded herself.
The moment she genuinely began to falter and sincerely wish for Kael’s heart, hell would spread before Adeline’s eyes.

‘I have to make up my mind. I need to come to my senses.’

Adeline squeezed the skirt of her dress and searched for more reasons to push Kael away.
She suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Simeon in the past.

[I can feel a great curse of darkness from the Grand Duke.]
[A curse of darkness?]

At that time, Simeon looked at Adeline anxiously with a very serious face.
Simeon was always calm. The fact that he had visibly expressed his emotions meant that the situation was unusual.

‘That’s right. He’s a dangerous person. I have to keep my distance to be safe. Even if I’m not sure about the curse, he was famous for being a cruel person.’

In fact, it was a contradiction.
She had to stay away from Kael in order to stay safe while doing all these things so that she could die.
She had no right to reproach Kael for his sophistry.
But Adeline had no other option.
She had to make up her mind before she fell even further than she had now.

‘I just need to come to my senses, pretend to love him, and end this marriage quickly…’

When she thought that she should get out of the position of grand duchess with feelings made up of lies, not sincerity, she remembered what Kael had said.

[I accepted it because no matter how much you say you love me, I can find out if those words are true or false.]
[How do you know that? If those are my feelings, how can you not believe…]
[If you really come to love me, even if you want to hide it, I will know.]
[But how?]
[I have a very mysterious tool.]

He said he had a tool to recognize Adeline’s feelings.
It could not have been made up, considering that there were many magic tools hidden deep in the castle.

‘If I can’t stop my feelings and become more sincere… Can Kael sneak a peek at my heart and ask for our marriage to end first?’

Reflecting on the memory of what happened last night, Kael didn’t want this relationship to be mixed with sincerity.
So, she didn’t know if Kael would try to look into Adeline’s feelings before she could come forward and end this marriage.

“…”

But, funnily enough, the moment she thought about that, Adeline’s heart sank.
Despite thinking that she had probably found another good way, liking him would become true.
Adeline couldn’t smile even though the moment she had hoped for might come sooner.
To her dismay, she was rather afraid.

“No. Please get yourself together, Adeline. You can’t do this.”

Adeline covered her face with her hands, feeling dizzy.

***

“…”

Kael also stayed up all night with his eyes open.
His eyes were bloodshot as he climbed into the carriage and looked out the window at the capital’s streets.

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The moment when the string of reason he was barely holding on to was cut off completely was extremely vivid.
Her light green eyes filled with tears, saying ‘I missed you’ with a slightly trembling voice, her warm lips that eventually could not overcome those emotions, and the hot breath they shared with a soft touch.

It was not a temperature at which a kiss could end. At least for Kael. He felt that if he reached out a little more, he would be longing for everything Adeline had to offer.
That was why he was even more dazzled.
Kael never imagined that a moment like this would come for him.
He believed that being shaken up by a woman or wanting a woman was something that would never happen in his life.
But Adeline cracked even this.

‘No. Think of the curse.’

Kael closed his eyes and leaned his head backwards.

He had to bury it no matter what, and forget about his feelings no matter what.
He had to distance himself from Adeline, even if he was forced to leave her in the capital.

“Your Grace. We have arrived.”

As he rode the carriage in agony, he suddenly found himself in front of the imperial palace.
With a sigh, Kael opened his eyes and looked at the imperial palace beyond the window.

It wasn’t until today that the emperor, who hadn’t given any reaction as if nothing had happened, called Kael to the palace.
Although he felt a strong resentment just from looking at his face, he could not refuse the emperor’s orders.
There was also something he had to say.

Above all, in this situation, he had to take even a few steps away from Adeline.
Of course, even having an audience with the emperor involved Adeline, but at least it was better than being in the same room with her.

***

“Haha, welcome, Kael. How long has it been!”

As he entered the office, the emperor smiled brightly and opened his arms naturally before approaching Kael.
Kael only stared at the emperor with a frighteningly cold face.

“When are you going to let go of this unfriendliness? If an old friend is so happy to see you, shouldn’t you be a little welcoming and greet him?”

An old friend. Kael chewed on those words and swallowed his scorn.
The emperor’s expression showed how anxious he was.

“I’m sorry. I was surprised too, so I checked and found out that there was a mistake. That’s why I took charge personally and punished everyone involved. So, for the sake of our bond so far…”
“That’s amazing. There would have been no one Your Majesty could have punished. I already took care of everything with my own hands.”

Kael pointed out that the emperor had done nothing with such a cold voice that seemed to freeze the sun as well.
Immediately, the emperor’s face turned all kinds of colors.

“You know that I mean for this to end well.”
“Why should I?”
“You’re impertinent! Don’t you know that I’m showing you mercy?”
“Did you just say mercy?”

Kael asked back, doubting his ears.

“You crushed all my knights, whom I raised with my own power. You went around the entire capital and found each and every one of them and annihilated them all. How dare you do that to the army of the Emperor? This is treason. It’s like you’re spitting on my dignity and challenging me.”

The emperor said, approaching Kael with an angry face.

“Yet, I am keeping you alive without punishing you. Do you know how much mercy this is?”

His strategy to criticize the other person to hide his obvious mistake was clearly seen.
It was the worst strategy.

“Last winter, when the North was ruined by a devastating cold weather and I asked for support and was rejected, and when the process of my knights’ titles, which should have been approved by the capital, was delayed, I put up with it, because it was Your Majesty’s decision.”
“…”
“In addition, this time, you falsely accused my innocent wife, kidnapped her, and even tortured her, and yet, the soldiers of the North are still standing guard.”
“…”
“What seems like a great mercy, Your Majesty?”

Kael’s low voice sounded like the growling of a beast.

Cold sweat ran down the emperor’s back from the tremendous intimidation emanating from him.
It wasn’t simply because he was afraid of Kael himself. The fierce vigor that seemed like he would start a military force in the north at any moment, if he so decided, frightened the emperor.
If Kael decided to take military action, the emperor and the capital had no way of defeating him.

“Th-that…”

The emperor’s bewildered eyes trembled.
However, Kael didn’t have the slightest intention to fully react to the emperor’s emotions.
The moment he tormented Adeline, the outcome for the emperor and his forces was determined.

“The knights of the North, who are staying here to defend the capital, will all be withdrawn from today.”
“Wh-what did you just say? How impertinent!”
“Today will be the last day of the rest of your life that you will be protected by those under my influence, Your Majesty.”

While the emperor’s face turned pale, Kael merely stared coldly at him.

He was no longer willing to put up with anything.
Because Adeline was hurt, because Adeline was in pain. He had to repay that in double.